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Friday, May 20, 2011

1830 Stampless Letter from Charleston SC. Written by "Ann" to her brother William M Reid.

In Part...
"i now set down to address you a few lines. I intended writing you before this but was prevented. I have nothing but meloncholy new to relate to you, there have been several dreadful accidents lately. On Thursday 29th of July we had a severe squall accompanied by thunder and lightning. A party of youn men, consisting of Rufus Ingraham, youn Harleston, Bull, also 3 negroes had gone out on a fishing excursion; they were on there way home when the squall overtook them near Castle Pinkney [Castle Pinckney was a small masonry fortification constructed by the
United States government by 1810 in the harbor of Charleston, South
Carolina.] and capsized the Boat. Several boats went to their assistance and were enabled to save bull and Harleston but meloncholy to relate, Ingrahama and the 3 negroes were drowned.

It evoked a great excitement as you may suppose, rewards were offered for the body of I and they were 2 days looking but to no purpose, it is supposed the bodies must have been taken by sharks as 2 were caught a few days afterward, one measuring 14 feet 9 inches and the other 10 feet. A fur Cap was found in one and a Negroes Skull in the other. I think Mrs I ought indeed dread water works, more even you recollecto she had a sister drowned much about his age. he was quite a promising youth, I understand; he helped to support his mother with his salary. I met him the morning previous, looking quite well. He was rather handsome.

The same afternoon a young girl, by the name of Heckley was struck DEAD by lightning standing by a window, eating a piece of watermellon her mother was lying on the bed in the same room, was not injured but the part of the house that was struck very much shattered. We know not the day or the hour. Mrs Cohens house in Broad St was also struck but not much injured.

A few days ago the Steam boat Macon, which has been running all the Summer to the toland??? Boiler burst, just as she had landed her passengers scalded 4 negroes & the engineer, who died the day after. The negroes have got better, the providences of God have been very awful this summer everywhere.

There has been a dreadful fire in Wilmington during a thunderstorm a house was set fire to by lightning. The fire raged, the whole time during the storm, what an awful scene it must have been. Ancrum Berry was among the principal sufferers. There has also been a dreadful storm of rain at the North, it rained for 4 days without ceasing, bridges, factories, mills and ??? have been floated away, in one place houses were swept away, one with 14 persons in it. it occurred in Vermont. Mrs Keith sailed yesterday for the north............................

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Handwritten legal document concerning the conveyance of property, from: "...Josiah Sturtevant of Hallifax in the county of Plymouth practitioner of physick...", dated at the bottom August 6th, 1750, with covered wax seals and signatures of both Josiah Sturtevant and Priscilla Sturtevant (see). Two witness signatures as well, one by Deborah Croate.

Monday, May 09, 2011

“The first Presbyterian Church of Addison Steuben Co. N.Y. is in a lumbering community & of its thirteen mail [sic] members all but two are more or less engaged in the lumber business. They are necessarily from home from one to twelve weeks at a time. In all communities where lumber is the principal staple there is I believe more or less [..] desecration & profanity. I have been familiar with the character and conduct of seamen & slave drivers, but never have I found a class of men more rough & vicious than the lumbermen on the Canisteo River.”